s1: AB99-11........

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RELAYED BY ZTZ.INTERCHANGE.CA *** PL RE-RELAY WIDELY, AND TO FRIENDS
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No.99-11                                        Analytica Birmanie
BURMESE SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS: "FRIENDS NOT, .....MASTERS"

[ The above quote: "Friends Not, Masters" is borrowed, with a slight
change made, from the autobiography of Pakistan's dictator, General Ayub
Khan, entitled: FRIENDS, NOT MASTERS (sic), ....in a laughable attempt to
portray himself and his thuggish soldiers as "friends" of the people, not
their masters. In truth, however, "Friends Not, Masters" expresses right
to the bone, the psyche of even the lowest soldier in Burma, especially
ethnic Burman soldiers and officers, posted to non-Burman areas. ]

The kind of orders -- see below -- from military outposts to villages,
are of the routine kind. Village heads receive such orders -- do as told,
or die -- everyday. Villagers are regarded, at best, as lowly servants,
but usually as fair game. The relation between soldiers/the military (and
regime) and villagers/broader society is that of predator and prey.

Often, when an outpost commander feels that his outpost is in danger of
being attacked by resistance groups, and his life is thus endangered,
villagers are ordered to stand guard along approaches to the camp for
several days and nights. Often too, when a military convoy of trucks is
on the move, villages along convoy's route are ordered to stand guard to
prevent ambushes by resistance forces, again for several days in a row.
This is downright ridiculous and most cowardly.

Who is supposed to protect whom, and who is paid to fight -- villagers or
soldiers? -- one may ask. (NOTE: But you cant ask this question in Burma,
or do so only if you have a death wish).


ANALYTICA BIRMANIE 99
1999, April.
--------------------------------

COPY:
Rights Watch (B.C. BURMA COURIER)

COMPLY -- OR ELSE!

The following are samples of written orders sent from Burmese Army units
to Karen villages in the Thaton and Pa'an Districts of Karen State,
S.E. Burma.   The orders, published in a Karen Human Rights Group
bulletin this week, were issued between September 1998 - March 1999.  The
portions marked with xxxx are censored to protect against possible
identification of those responsible for providing copies of the order.  A
wider selection including complete human rights reports is available on
the Karen Human Rights Group website:
    http://metalab.unc.edu/freeburma/humanrights/khrg/archive/

SAMPLE: #1

Stamp:       #xxx Infantry Battalion, Column #x
To:    Village Head xxxx village

>From your village, children, men and all the villagers are
absolutely(absolutely) not allowed out of the village on September 27 /
28 / 29,
Thadin Kyut Hla Zan [waxing] 7 / 8 / 9.  Don't go at all for looking
after your cattle, buffalos, farm affairs or picking vegetables.  Inform
the village that they will be shot and arrested if the Columns find out
[that they are going out of the village].

Place:          Temporary - Mobile [camp]
[Signed]        Intelligence Officer, #xxx Infantry Battalion
Date:                   26-9-98

[Order probably issued because of a military operation around the village
at the time]
=======

SAMPLE: #2
[To:]         xxxx [village].
Date:        7-1-99
                            
Stamp:       #xxx Infantry Battalion, #x Company

To let the xxxx [village] chairperson, Daw xxxx, know.  Tomorrow morning
at 6 o'clock send 3 emergency servants from your village for repairing
the camp.

Send [them] without fail to repair the camp.  It will be two nights long,
so they must bring rations.

Without fail.  If [you] fail it will be the responsibility of the
Chairpersons.

Right on time on 8-1-99 to xxxx camp.

[Signed]:
(for)
Company Commander, x Company, # xxx Infantry Battalion
Place:        xxxx camp

N.B. ['Emergency servants' are villagers to do a one-time shift of forced
labour. 'Camp' would refer to the military unit's base of operations]
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